Saturday, July 26, 2008

The Senate reconvened in a rare weekend session today and resumed consideration of the House amendment to H.R. 3221, the housing bill. The U.S. Senate passed housing bill 72-13 and the measure will now go before President George Bush who has already indicated he would sign it into law. The housing bill is designed to provide struggling homeowners with access to cheaper loans that will in turn bail out mortgage giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.

Following that vote, senators will vote on cloture on the motion to proceed to the LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) bill (S. 3186). Yesterday, Democrats failed to get cloture on their narrow energy speculation bill (S. 3268) by a 50-43 vote. Monday, Sen Reid could call up an omnibus bill (S. 3297) to bypass objections from Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK).

From Senate & News Sources: Senate Republicans continued to demand a full debate on energy legislation. Democrats, meanwhile, are scrambling to find any way to move away from consideration of energy issues or to block votes on increasing domestic energy supplies. To that end, Democrats shut down their energy bill, closing off the possibility of amendments, and tried to force the bill through yesterday. But as CQ Politics writes, “Senate Republicans Friday blocked efforts by Democratic leaders to end debate on an energy speculation bill, seeking to force continued discussion on energy policy all the way to the start of the August recess.”

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said, “Americans are insisting we do more. They want us to do something to cut the price of gas and lessen our dependence on Middle East oil. They don’t want us to quit working until the job is done. And leaving this issue is what the Democrat leadership just voted to do. A majority in the Senate wants America to be self-reliant and to find more American energy. But the Democrat Leadership says, ‘No, we can’t.’”

At a press conference, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) zeroed in on Democrat leaders as the key problem, saying, “We need to find a few Democrats who are willing to defy their leadership, because effectively what we have is a blockade, a political blockade formed by Senator Obama, Senator Reid, and Speaker Pelosi, who are inhibiting, making it impossible for the American people to get what they overwhelmingly want, and that is access to America’s natural resources, because they believe that if we explore and produce American energy, we can bring down the price of gasoline at the pump.”

Republican Party of Arkansas Holds State Convention

Bill Smith, Editor & Convention Delegate: Today, more than 300 Republicans turned out at the Embassy Suites in Little Rock, Arkansas to hear the latest from party leaders and several candidates at the 2008 Republican Party of Arkansas (RPA) State Convention. Former Congressman Asa Hutchison and former Governor Mike Huckabee spoke to the convention and rallied their support for Senator John McCain as the next President of the United States. Asa vividly pointed out that "the election this year is not about the election an American idol, but it is about electing an American President. John McCain is that person!"

Huckabee, the main speaker, had just returned from Rwanda where 14 years ago over one million people were by tribal warfare in 100 days. Huckabee reported that Rwanda is now looking to the future with hope rather than looking back in despair. Huckabee addressed Barack Obama trip overseas and said it appears Obama is running for president of the world instead of for president of the United States. He then went on to share about the character and experience of John McCain and reminded the delegates of core principles in the Republican Party.

Huckabee said the importance of the Republican Party is not the "personalities within the Republican Party but the principles of the Republican Party." He then detailed numerous fundamental principles and ideals including the sanctity of human life where every human is important and sacred, traditional marriage between a man and a woman, and the importance of morality and character. He addressed that the least government necessary is the optimum solution, and that Obama'a approach is to expand government regulation, increase taxes and to restrict business and free choice. Huckabee shared about the most basic form of government -- "self government" where each person follows the "golden rule." Thus, there is no need for expanded government. He shared that our country's forefathers expected that we should govern ourselves with morality and decency and we would not need government to control us but to only aid in common areas of defense and commerce.. When they establish the structure of the Federal Government they put in place protections of the people from the government and that these protection remain important today.

Also addressing the convention was Princella Smith, a native Arkansan, who is the chief advocate for the Platform of the American People and working with former Speaker Newt Gingrich at American Solutions, She shared about the current "Drill Here - Drill Now" petition. She detailed an American Solution's survey that found that 87% of Americans want English as the official language of the government; 87% consider referencing to "our Creator" in government documents as being very important; 65% believe the death tax should be abolished; and 83% believe that it is vital to be prepared to survive an attack on the United States to include stronger border control and energy independence with "Drill Here - Drill Now" as a critical part of the immediate solution as we look toward future alternatives.

While speeches were enjoyed by all, the convention completed its business of adopting the RPA 2008 Platform and the Rules of the Republican Party of Arkansas for 2008-2010. The RPA Platform reaffirmed support of pro-life legislation, protection of the 2nd Amendment, lowering taxes, and protection of private property rights, convention delegates considered and affirmed the following changes to the to the 2008 RPA Party Platform: support of a super majority requirement to raise taxes, eliminating the remainder of the sales tax on groceries, greater restrictions on the use of general improvement funds, an increase in the exemption on retirement income from state income tax, reformation of the Grand Jury system that allows voters to petition the Circuit Courts for convening a grand jury, and permitting the Arkansas State Police to be trained in immigration enforcement practices allowed under current Federal law.

In addition the delegates approved the following Electoral College members: Jim Burnett, Reta Hamilton, Governor Mike Huckabee, Phyllis Kincannon, Steve Lux, and Kermit Parks. Also ratified were the State Committeeman and Committeewoman from each Arkansas county. The following Arkansas Republican candidates were also certified by the convention for the upcoming November General Election:

Friday, July 25, 2008

New Bush Pro-Life Iniative

William J. Murray, Chairman Religious Freedom Coalition: President George Bush is pushing for Health and Human Services regulations that would allow health care workers to refuse to participate in the taking of a human life. A proposed HHS document that safeguards health care workers who refuse to perform "any of the various procedures - including the prescription, dispensing and administration of any drug or the performance of any procedure or any other action - that results in the termination of the life of a human being in utero between conception and natural birth, whether before or after implantation." As of now nurses, pharmacists and other who receive federal funds must participate in practices despicable to them. Senator Hillary Clinton and other radicals are up in arms, insisting that even doctors should be forced to preform abortions regardless of their beliefs. Read moreTags:Health and Human Services, HHS, Hillary Clinton, President George Bush, pro-life, To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Obama Rejects English Language Assimilation

Phyllis Schlafly, Eagle Forum, 7/23/08: Barack Obama Says Your Kids Should Speak Spanish. One would think that a presidential candidate who has no military service, who survived a public controversy about attending a church for 20 years where the pastor preached "hate America," plus a flap about his refusal to wear an American Flag pin, would bend over backwards to showcase his patriotism. But Barack Obama has just given his critics another reason to question his support of American identity.

Obama said, "Understand this: Instead of worrying about whether immigrants can learn English ... you need to make sure your child can speak Spanish." But who "needs to make sure"? parents? public schools? government nannies? Expanding on this theme, Obama added, "You should be thinking about how can your child become bilingual... It's embarrassing ... when Europeans come over here, they all speak English ... And then we go over to Europe, and all we can say is Merci beaucoup."

Embarrassed? We surely don't want a President representing our nation in foreign travels who is embarrassed about our country. We want a President who is proud to stand up for America, our culture, our language, our laws and our customs. Most Americans look upon the English language as the number-one factor that defines our national identity: "e pluribus unum," one nation out of many peoples. We want English to be our national, official language, spoken by all who call themselves Americans. The Zogby Poll reports that 83% of Americans favor legislation to make English our official language. Thirty states have designated English as the official language of their states, and ten more states are considering such legislation.

Obama is pandering to Hispanic voters by suggesting that the rest of us have a duty to speak Spanish. Most Americans not only don't want to speak Spanish, we are annoyed by voices on the telephone telling us to "Press 1 (or sometimes 2) for English," and we are outraged at the thought that a President would try to impose a Spanish obligation on us. Only 26% of Americans, according to a Rasmussen survey, believe that every American should be able to speak two languages. Even that low number would probably nosedive if confronted with the notion that the government might enforce bilingualism on us.

Why should that second language be Spanish? The United States today has immigrants who speak over 200 different languages. Should the Asian immigrants be forced to learn Spanish as well as English? . . . Americans are not backward hicks because we don't learn a second language. We consider it a waste of time because English is fast becoming the worldwide language and because the ability to speak English is the litmus test of whether or not immigrants are assimilating into the American culture. . . . The Pew Hispanic Center reported that only 52% of Hispanic naturalized citizens speak English well or pretty well, and that 28% of Latino immigrants speak only Spanish on the job. Obama voted against making English our official language on four Senate roll-call votes. . . . [More by Phyllis Schlafly on Obama Rejects English Language Assimilation]Tags:Barack Obama, Eagle Forum, English, immigrants, Phyllis Schlafly, videoTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Why Europe Loves Obama

Gary L. Bauer: Front pages of newspapers all over America have the same photo this morning – hundreds of thousands of Berliners cheering "President" Barack Obama. Yes, I realize I wrote “President” and not “Senator.” But the election is just a formality, a mere detail to be “managed.”

The media act as if he were president. The “world” wants him to be president. Obama himself thinks he is at least president, if not “King.” His staff certainly does. Believe it or not, this is what one of Obama’s top foreign policy advisors actually said this past Tuesday about the Berlin speech, “When the president of the United States goes and gives a speech, it is not a political speech or a political rally.” Surely you, the American voter, would not dare reject his candidacy in November. Don’t you understand your responsibility as a “citizen of the world” to fall in line behind what the world wants?

It is no surprise that Europeans love Obama. He thinks the same way the European left thinks. They look at him and see themselves. They are socialists and so is Obama. Many Europeans support abortion-on-demand and homosexual “marriage.” So does Obama. They believe resistance to radical Islam is futile, and thus appeasement is their policy. It is Obama’s policy too. They see America as the problem. Barack’s wife, Michelle, says we are a “mean” country. He apologized in his Berlin speech for America’s shortcomings. When President Bush bravely said there was an “axis of evil” that had to be confronted, Europe recoiled in horror. Obama says, “Citizens of the world – this is our moment.” I don’t even know what that sentence means!
We are “citizens of the world” only in the sense that we inhabit the same planet. But on this planet, free men must constantly defend their liberty from tyrants. That necessity won’t change even if Barack Obama becomes president of the United States, but it will be a lot harder to win if he pursues his leftwing policies.

By the way, Obama was too busy being a “citizen of the world” to spend a few minutes with our troops at U.S. military hospitals in Germany. His planned visits were abruptly cancelled as “inappropriate for a campaign event.” But remember -- just three days ago, Obama’s top foreign policy advisor was insisting that the “president’s speech” was not a political rally!

The Wall Street Journal reminded us this morning that when my former boss Ronald Reagan went to Berlin and demanded, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall,” the German crowds were not as adoring as they were for Obama. It took 10,000 riot police to control 100,000 leftwing protestors who wanted to appease the communists. They were wrong and Ronald Reagan was right. Two years later the Berlin Wall came down and Obama was able this week to speak in a united Berlin. It’s too bad that neither he nor his admiring throng have learned anything about how to confront and defeat tyranny.

On a lighter note, and to start your weekend off with a laugh, I thought you might enjoy this satirical view of Obama’s world tour fromthe British media.Tags:Barack Obama, Election 2008, Europe, Gary Bauer, Germany, Great Britian, socialism, socialistTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

The Senate reconvened this morning and voted on a cloture motion on the Democrats’ energy speculation bill (S. 3268) [The bill that Sen. Reid would allow no amendments on drillin]. The motion failed 50-43. Senators then began a vote on cloture on the housing bill (motion to concur with House amendment to H.R. 3221).

The rest of the day will be set aside for debate, in 30 minutes blocks alternating between Democrats and Republicans. The Senate will be in session tomorrow, beginning at 9 AM. Following 2 hours of debate, the Senate will vote on the motion to concur with the House amendment to the housing bill. If the motion is agreed to, the bill will be sent to the president.

After the housing vote, a vote on the LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) bill (S. 3186) is expected.

From News and Senate Sources:The Washington Post asks this morning, “Why not have a vote on offshore drilling?” The Post criticizes House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for “simply decree[ing] that she will not allow a drilling vote to take place on the House floor.” Of course, the Senate has a similar problem, with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid refusing to allow the chamber to have a full and open debate on energy issues. Reid has blocked Republicans from offering amendments to the Democrats’ narrow energy speculation bill and tried to cut off debate on the bill this morning.

Sen. Mitch McConnell described the situation: “The Ranking Member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, my good friend from New Mexico, put it this way: He said that in his 37 years of service in the Senate, he has never seen a bigger problem met with a smaller solution. I’d put it this way: Americans are saying the house is on fire, and the Democrat Leadership is showing up at the scene with squirt guns.”

Indeed, energy continues to be the number one concern of Americans, as a new Wall Street Journal and NBC News polls shows today. The Journal notes, “By margins of 22 to 31 percentage points, voters in each of the [swing] states -- Michigan, Colorado, Minnesota and Wisconsin -- said they support offshore oil drilling, according to the polls . . .” A Denver Post article backs up the data: “With the price of gasoline their highest-ranked financial worry, a majority of Colorado voters now support drilling in [Alaska and off America’s coasts], according to Thursday’s [Quinnipiac] poll . . . .”

Republicans are pressing hard on energy. Roll Call writes, “In an effort to take their message on high gasoline prices straight to the voters, Senate Republicans took to the radio airwaves on Thursday. Several GOP lawmakers locked themselves away in a quiet basement room in the Capitol on Thursday to explain their intention to reduce prices at the pump to local and regional radio stations.”

The pressure is clearly getting to Democrats. Fox News reported that Harry Reid got testy with reporters yesterday as they questioned him over his obstruction on energy debates. Reid has claimed he’s offered Republicans votes a number of amendments, but Senate Republican Whip Jon Kyl reminded the press that he has offered only two. According to Fox, “Reporters tried to pin Reid down Thursday on the amendment issue. In the exchange, Reid told one reporter she should ‘watch the [Senate] floor more often. ... You might learn something.’ “Another reporter explained she had watched the Senate proceedings and said it was not clear he was ... offering separate amendments, to which Reid asked the reporter if she ‘spoke English.’ ‘Turn up your Miracle Ear,’ Reid added.”

Reid isn’t the only one under pressure. The Washington Post notes, “Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) called off committee consideration of spending bills on which Republicans were threatening to offer drilling amendments. The result threatens to be the first time since at least 1950 that lawmakers will go home for the August recess without either chamber having passed a single appropriations bill.”

Americans are telling Congress every day that they want real action on energy and gas prices, with polls repeatedly showing it as the most important domestic issue. So why does the Democrat leadership in Congress refuse to allow full debate and votes on all kinds of solutions? As The Washington Post writes, “If drilling opponents really have the better of this argument, why are they so worried about letting it come to a vote?”Tags:gas prices, Harry Reid, offshore drilling, online polls, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C.To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Thursday, July 24, 2008

You want to see MY Gun Permit?

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.A Hat Tip to TexasFred and Gawfer! New FaceBook Group: Ya wanna see MY Gun Permit?Tags:2nd Amendment, gun control, gun grabbers, gun owners rights, gun rights, second amendment, support open carryTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Today in Washington D. C. - July 24, 2008 - Reid Acts Like a Dictator

The Senate resumed consideration of the motion to proceed to a LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) bill (S. 3186). Senators will have the opportunity to debate energy issues throughout the day, with each side alternately controlling 30 minutes of debate until 5:30PM.

Yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid again showed his inability to lead and acted again like a dictator and blocked Republicans from offering any amendments on the Democrats’ energy speculation bill (S. 3268) -- the number one issue facing the nation. Reid also filed cloture on the bill, setting up a cloture vote for Friday. Reid also blocked amendments and filed cloture on the housing bill (H.R. 3221), which was cleared by the House yesterday. A cloture vote is likely Friday or Saturday. Reid also filed cloture on the motion to proceed to the LIHEAP bill.

Comments & News Sources: Amazingly, with gas prices exceeding $4 per gallon and Americans citing gas and energy prices as the most important issue in the country, Senate Democrats moved to try to shut down debate on an energy bill. Last night, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid decided that the debate on energy would be the Democrats’ way or no way and “filled the amendment tree,” thus preventing Republicans from offering any amendments on energy. Since the Democrats’ bill is so narrow—it only looks to rewrite rules for energy traders—Reid’s move will prevent votes on offshore drilling, on opening oil shale to exploration, on opening ANWR for drilling, on expanding nuclear power, on incentives for plug-in hybrids, and numerous other issues. As The Wall Street Journal put it, “Reid has decided that deliberation is too taxing for ‘the world’s greatest deliberative body.’”

It’s no secret what’s going on here, though. The Wall Street Journal gets it exactly right in its editorial: “Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and other liberal leaders on Capitol Hill are gripped by cold-sweat terror. If they permit a vote on offshore drilling, they know they will lose when Blue Dogs and oil-patch Democrats defect to the GOP position of increasing domestic energy production. So the last failsafe is to shut down Congress.” In other words, the representatives for the majority of the people in the U.S. would accomplish what the people need and want verses the personal and limited desires of Pelosi, Reid and other liberal leaders on Capitol Hill.

Even the liberal leaning The New York Times points out that Democrats’ fear of drilling votes goes beyond closing down floor debate: “Democrats, worried about defections in the ranks, are scrambling to avoid votes on expanded drilling and this week canceled a series of Senate committee sessions that could have provided an opening for Republicans. In the House, Democrats are increasingly bringing legislation to the floor under rules that deny Republicans the chance to counter with a drilling proposal.”

“Senate Republicans have threatened to block nearly all other bills pending before the August recess if Democrats refuse to vote with them on expanding offshore drilling,” according to The Hill. Senate Republicans are committed to legislating on energy and gas prices in a serious and substantive way, and are asking for a full and open debate. The Senate has plenty of time to debate and amend a bill that would let us “find more and use less” energy.

When will the Democrat Leadership listen to the 77% of Americans who want us to use our own domestic resources to drive down the price of gas and say ‘Yes, we can.’ When will they listen to more than a dozen of their own members and say ‘Yes, we can.' . . . Americans never imagined they would be paying these prices at the pump. But if the Democrat Leadership has its way, Americans will be paying even more in the years to come. And when that time comes, and there’s no one else to blame, they’ll look around and see no one but themselves. Then Americans will know who to blame. And I can tell you this: it won’t be the speculators.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

3rd Circuit Court Tosses Child Online Protection Act

Bill Smith, ARRA Editor: Yesterday, "We Don't Need No Stinkin Judges" addressed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) nerve on the Senate floor declaring no one cares about judicial confirmations. "I'm telling you, . . . I can't ever remember going home and somebody saying, 'Could you guys [confirm] some more judges? ...Frankly, judge[s] [aren't] a big issue." The following post addresses a Federal Circuit Court yesterday ruling that a law to protect children from sexual material on the Internet is unconstitutional.

Today's news potential highlights "why" Sen. Reid doesn't consider confirming "conservative" judges is a "big issue" With Reid's 51% unfavorable voter approval rating in Nevada in October, few of his constituents are talking to Reid - maybe shouting but not talking. Who does talks to Reid? Maybe Pelosi and the other liberals, Planned Parenthood, the NEA, and lobbyists for gambling, pornography, or maybe those seeking the reduction in the "age of consent." No wonder Reid doesn't want any more of Bush's conservative judicial nominees confirmed to the circuit courts.

CitizenLink: The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals sided with a lower court Tuesday, ruling that a law to protect children from sexual material on the Internet is unconstitutional. A day earlier, the same court threw out a $550,000 indecency fine levied against CBS for the infamous 2004 Super Bowl halftime show.

The Child Online Protection Act (COPA) was passed by Congress in 1998 but was never enforced due to a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union. The law makes it illegal to post material that is harmful to children on the Internet for commercial purposes. The 3rd Circuit called the law “overbroad and vague,” saying Internet filters are a less restrictive way to protect children. The 3rd Circuit has once again come to the aid of online pornographers,” he said. “In effect, the court said we can't protect our children from online filth if the law might make some adult seeking his porn 'fix' uncomfortable.”Tags:3rd Circuit Court, ACLU, CBS, children, CitizenLink, COPA, Harry Reid, judicial activism, pornographyTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

New U.S. Passport Card

Joint Announcement from the U.S. Departments ofState And Homeland Security on Passport Card Production - press release 7/22/08:

. . . the new U.S. Passport Card is in full production and is now being distributed. The Passport Card is a convenient, wallet-sized document for land and sea travel between the United States and Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, and Bermuda. It is not valid for international travel by air.

Beginning in June 2009, travelers will be required to present a single Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) compliant document denoting both citizenship and identity when entering the United States through a land or sea border. More than 350,000 Americans pre-ordered the U.S. Passport Cards since the State Department began taking orders on February 1. Over 7,600 cards have already been mailed to advance customers, and all pre-orders are expected to be filled by September 30, 2008. After that initial distribution, we expect the processing time for passport cards to be the same as for passport books – less than four weeks. Customers will be able to track the progress of their passport card application online beginning in mid-August.

The passport card will facilitate the frequent travel of Americans living in border communities by utilizing a vicinity-read radio frequency identification (RFID) chip. With this technology, DHS’ U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers will be able to access photographs and other biographical information stored in secure government databases before the traveler reaches the inspection booth so that inspection can be facilitated. For privacy protection, no personal information is stored on the electronic chip itself. The chip will have only a unique number pointing to a stored record contained in secure government databases.

“We are pleased to offer Americans a choice of documents, the traditional passport book, and now the passport card, to meet their personal needs for international travel,” said Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Janice L. Jacobs. “The passport card is the newest addition to the Department’s long history of providing secure, reliable services to the American traveling public.”“We have been working closely with the U.S. Department of State to be able to provide another type of secure identification that is vital to protecting our nation’s borders” said Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Policy Stewart Baker. “The new passport cards will help facilitate legitimate travel while allowing our frontline personnel to focus more on those who may pose a threat.”

The Passport Card is available for $45 for first-time adult applicants and $35 for children under 16. Adults who currently have valid passports can apply for the passport card by mail for $20.For information on how to apply for a U.S. Passport Card or the traditional passport book please visit the following website: travel.state.gov.Tags:Burmuda, Canada, Department of Homeland Security, Department of State, Human Society of United States, Mexico, passport, passport card, the Caribbean, travelTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Russia Nuclear Bombers in Cuba

ARRA News Service - Who do You Want As the Next Commnder-in-Chief in the Oval Office handling the Russian threat? Brietbart reporting on the confirmation hearing of General Norton Schwartz, nominated to be the air force's chief of staff quoted General Schwartz response to the question, "what he would recommend if Russia were to base nuclear capable bombers in Cuba." The question was based on the a news report by Iszvestia on Monday which quoted "an unnamed senior Russian air force official in Moscow as saying that Russia may start regular flights by long-range bombers to Cuba in response to US plans to install a missile defense system in eastern Europe." General Schwartz said that Russia would cross "a red line for the United States of America" if it were to base nuclear capable bombers in Cuba." [Read -US general warns Russia on nuclear bombers in Cuba] For those too young to remember, Google "The 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis" and learn about the event that brought the United States and the Soviet Union to the brink of war. Tags:bomber, Cuba, Human Society of United States, Norton Schwartz, nuclear, nuclear weapon, RussiaTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Today in Washington D. C. - July 23, 2008

The Senate reconvened at 10 AM today and resumed post-cloture consideration of the motion to proceed to the Democrats’ energy speculation bill (S. 3268). Debate on the bill will continue throughout the day, with Democrats and Republicans alternating in 30 minute time blocks. Later today, the House is expected to pass the housing bill (H.R. 3221) and the Senate could attempt to clear the bill for the president late in the day. At 11 AM, a ceremony will be held in the Capitol Rotunda to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the integration of the U.S. armed forces.

Yesterday, the Senate voted 94-0 to move forward with the energy speculation bill. The Senate also agreed to House amendments to a Burma sanctions bill (H.R. 3890) by unanimous consent. Also, Reid introduced a 400-page omnibus bill (S. 3297) of legislation Sen. Coburn has objected to over spending and limited government concerns. Reid plans to try to push the bill through at the end of the week.

From Senate & News Sources:Politico has an excellent story today that gets the big picture on the energy debate in the Senate exactly right.

“Democratic leaders, caught off guard by a swing in public opinion and undermined by some of their own members, are scrambling to run down the clock on calls to lift the ban on offshore oil drilling. . . .

With just two weeks to go before the August recess, Democratic leaders are doing everything they can to prevent a vote on drilling before members leave town.“[Senate Majority Leader Harry] Reid offered Republicans one shot at a drilling amendment on Tuesday, but talks on energy policy quickly broke down after the GOP rejected that offer. Meanwhile, Senate Appropriations Comm Chair Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) abruptly cancelled a markup, previously scheduled for Thursday, at which Republicans might have been able to force the issue.

One senior GOP Senate aide said Democrats were ‘in a panic, choosing between Al Gore and the Sierra Club on one hand and the angry guy who just paid $80 to fill his F-150’ on the other.” To borrow a phrase, read the whole thing.

This morning, Reid tried to set up debate on the Democrats’ energy speculation bill by limiting it to one amendment for each side that would have to get 60 votes to be adopted. CQ Today notes, “Neither the Republican nor Democratic amendments are likely to pass because of the 60-vote threshold, so Republicans don’t see Reid’s offer as a viable proposition.” A Senate observer said, "This is not the way the Senate has addressed important energy legislation in the past; and it is not how it should address energy today. The result of this procedure is to allow only a vote on the Democrats’ narrow bill to restrict energy speculation without addressing real supply and demand issues."

Academics, economists, and newspapers are "coming out of the woodwork" to say, in the words of wealthy Democrat Warren Buffett, “It’s not speculation, it is supply and demand.”The New York Times reports today that “a federal task force said Tuesday that it had so far found no evidence that those [speculators] are systematically pushing up the cost of energy.” The Dallas Morning News explains “the unintended consequences of this approach,” noting that “[s]cores of industries and investors benefit from these transactions.” To quote Senate GOP Leader McConnell, “Let’s get serious. Let’s open this debate to more than one good idea — rather than bring it to a premature end. And let’s find a solution that incorporates increased domestic supply and conservation. We need to find more and use less. Americans are demanding nothing less.”Tags:Burma, energy bill, energy speculation, gas prices, housing assistance, offshore oil, oil drilling, omnibus bill, US Congress, US Senate, Washington D.C.To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

World According to Americans

Bill Smith, ARRA Editor: After posting some of the stressful and distressful posts today, I had to post the following from my oldest son who may be concerned that his ol' dad needs to laugh more while reporting on today's somber events. Sometimes perspective is everything and humor smiles trough. Thanks son! Well the same is true for our faithful readers. Enjoy ---

p.s: Who comes up with this stuff?Tags:America, humor, mapTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

. . . not looking old so much as a bit lost within the new Obama aura -- it is clear that Jesse Jackson has come to a kind of dénouement. Some force that once buoyed him up now seems spent. Mr. Jackson was always a challenger. He confronted American institutions (especially wealthy corporations) with the shame of America's racist past and demanded redress. He could have taken up the mantle of the early Martin Luther King (he famously smeared himself with the great man's blood after King was shot), and argued for equality out of a faith in the imagination and drive of his own people. Instead -- and tragically -- he and the entire civil rights establishment pursued equality through the manipulation of white guilt. . . .

Mr. Obama's great political ingenuity was very simple: to trade moral leverage for gratitude. Give up moral leverage over whites, refuse to shame them with America's racist past, and the gratitude they show you will constitute a new form of black power. They will love you for the faith you show in them.

So it is not hard to see why Mr. Jackson might have experienced Mr. Obama's emergence as something of a stiletto in the heart. Mr. Obama is a white "race card" -- moral leverage that whites can use against the moral leverage black leaders have wielded against them for decades. He is the nullification of Jesse Jackson -- the anti-Jackson.

And Mr. Obama is so successful at winning gratitude from whites precisely because Mr. Jackson was so successful at inflaming and exploiting white guilt. Mr. Jackson must now see his own oblivion in the very features of Mr. Obama's face. Thus the on-camera threat of castration, followed by the little jab of his fist as if to deliver a stiletto of his own. . . . [Why Jesse Jackson Hates Obama]Tags:Barack Obama, Election 2008, Jesse Jackson, moral leverage, NBRA, race card, Shelby SteeleTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Obama Love 3.0

It's pretty obvious that the media has a bizarre fascination with Barack Obama. Some may even say it's a love affair. The following video arrangement of comments by the news commentators has been arranged with music to help you throught being ill over their comments. [Updated video 7/26/08]

Pelosi Call Abstinence Only Programs Dangerous

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) spoke on abstinence programs at the ultra-liberal "Netroots Nation" blogger conference. Pelosi called abstinence-only programs "dangerous" to America's youth and said that the only solution is to elect more pro-abortion politicians. She criticizes proposed federal regulations on conscience protections as also being "dangerous" and said that if "you don't like abortion you should love contraception." Amazingly, she goes on to say she is speaking as both a mother of five and a "devout Catholic," despite the fact that her beliefs on abortion and contraception contradict the teachings of her Church. She said advocates of abstinence-only are "catering to a radical right wing view and it should be stopped."

"We Don't Need No Stinkin Judges"

Tony Perkins, FRC Washington Update: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) had the nerve to stand on the Senate floor and declare that no one cares about judicial confirmations. "I'm telling you, Madam President, I can't ever remember going home and somebody saying, 'Could you guys [confirm] some more judges? ...Frankly, judge[s] [aren't] a big issue."

This runs counter to what Senator Reid said after the Supreme Court upheld the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act. The majority leader was quick to comment, "I would only say that this isn't the only decision that a lot of us wish that Alito weren't there and O'Connor were there." His counterpart on the House side, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), had an even higher opinion of judges in 2005 after the Supreme Court Kelo ruling on land rights. Her reply to the controversial decision was that when judges handed down a ruling it "was almost as if God has spoken." Of any issue we face today, judges are the ones who are literally making policy-often by overruling a complacent legislature. If Senator Reid doesn't think judges matter, then perhaps he can explain why he's been so insistent on holding so many of President Bush's nominees hostage. Last week marked the one-year anniversary of Robert Conrad's nomination. Meanwhile, Mr. Peter Keisler has been waiting for more than 750 days to be treated fairly by the Democrats in Congress. A president's lasting legacy is marked by the judicial nominations he makes, and Senator Reid is making his own legacy one of obstruction.Tags:federal judges, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Tony PerkinsTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Today in Washington D. C. - July 22, 2008

The Senate will will vote on whether to move forward on the Democrats’ bill (S. 3268) dealing with energy speculation. Considering how important the issue of high energy and gas prices is to Americans, Republicans want a full and fair debate on gas prices, not simply considering a narrow bill and having one or two votes on it. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is indicating that one amendment for each side is all that senators may have the opportunity to vote on. With gas over $4/gal, the majority leader is suggesting two votes and then being done with the issue. Clearly this is not what the American people are looking for from the U.S. Senate. After around an hour of debate, senators will vote on cloture on the motion to proceed to the bill.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said this morning, “I was disturbed to read this morning that our friends on the other side are considering only a brief and limited consideration of this bill. It’s troubling that at a time of $4.06-a-gallon gas, the U.S. Senate treats the issue as if it’s some technical corrections bill. Let me assure my friends it is not.” Sen. McConnell added, “The Republican conference is interested in a solution. We’re not interested in holding a pair of votes so that we can go home with the political cover to blame the other side for our collective lack of accomplishment.” However, Sen. Reid responded that he heard that Republicans were preparing a number of amendments and responded, “That’s not a serious effort to move forward on this legislation.” McConnell pointed out that the last two major energy bills that passed in 2005 and 2007 had extensive debate and a large number of amendments. In 2005, 235 amendments were proposed, 57 were agreed to, and 19 had roll call votes. In 2007, 331 amendments were filed, 49 were agreed to, and 16 received roll call votes.

From News Sources: Americans are making their views on increasing domestic energy supplies known, as evidenced by Harry Reid’s repeated insistences that “Democrats are not opposed to drilling,” despite their record to the contrary. The Hill reports that Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) is preparing a bill to include a drilling provision, although, “it is unclear whether Bingaman’s bill would allow expanded drilling in areas not currently leased to oil companies or merely include ‘use it or lose it’ language that Democratic leaders have been pushing.” Another article in The Hill shows just what a smokescreen the “use it or lose it” legislation is, though, considering environmental groups normally opposed to any new drilling are staying out of the way of that proposal.

Americans deserve a full debate on energy policy that includes serious proposals to “find more and use less” and can include looks at futures markets, but cannot be limited to that. As renowned energy expert Daniel Yergin told the Joint Economic Committee last month, “The answer to the oil and gas shock is not ‘either or.’ We need an ecumenical approach—a combination of new oil and gas supplies, renewables, and greater efficiency . . . .” Republicans have proposed just such a solution. The question is will the Democrat majority allow the Senate to vote on it?Tags:energy bill, energy prices, gas prices, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C.To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Govt Funding of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA),

Tony Perkins, FRC Action: The House and Senate are providing a frightening glimpse of things to come if a pro-abortion President and congressional majority are elected this November. With Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) casting the only dissenting vote, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a Foreign Operations bill that would boost so-called "family planning" funding by 13%, raising the 2009 total to a whopping $520 million. Among the programs boosted by the hike is the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which would receive $45 million to support forced abortion and sterilizations. Under the Senate's bill, the Mexico City policy, which bans U.S. funds from subsidizing groups that "promote or perform" abortion, would die. Although the House version wouldn't overturn the Mexico City policy, it raises the Senate's pledge by $15 million, providing $60 million for the UNFPA. Before both chambers schedule their floor votes, we encourage you to contact your leaders and ask them to respect the longstanding policy that bars American funds from taking innocent unborn lives via overseas aid. Contact your senators!Contact your representatives!Tags:abortion, Foreign Operations Bill, FRC, Mexico City policy, Population Fund, sterilizations, Tony Perkins, UNFPA, United Nations, US House, US SenateTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Today in Washington D. C. - July 21, 2008

The Senate: An important week gets underway in the Senate today as Democrats finally allow the Senate to have a debate on energy issues. Unfortunately, they have put forward a bill aimed only at punishing energy speculators and doing nothing to address supply issues. Senate Republicans will insist on a full and fair debate that includes production as a significant component of any bill. The Senate will reconvene late today at 3 PM today and will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to the Democrats’ energy speculation bill (S. 3268). A cloture vote on the motion to proceed is expected Tuesday.

From Senate & News Sources: In contrast to Democrats’ narrow approach to high gas prices, Republicans have continued to promote a solution closest to the needs and wishes of the American people. The proposal is to help Americans “find more and use less” energy, the Gas Price Reduction Act. While the GOP bill includes a measure to strengthen futures markets, Republicans believe the key to addressing gas prices is a focus on supply and demand.

Public opinion is clearly moving toward the GOP position. The New York Times reports that prominent Democrat polling firm Democracy Corps said in a recent analysis, “McCain’s message adding domestic oil production to a policy of alternative energy investment and conservation is favored over Obama’s message that blames oil companies . . . .” The idea of finding more energy is seeing a lot of agreement all across the country. The Pueblo Chieftain in Colorado and the Augusta Chronicle in Georgia both called on Congress over the weekend to allow more energy exploration.

Gannett News notes that the New Jersey delegation, once united against offshore drilling, is now split on the issue. And the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner notes that Alaska “[Sen. Lisa] Murkowski and Sen. Ted Stevens are . . . expected to offer an amendment that would grant energy companies access to the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, if given the chance.”

Yet Democrats have continued to offer excuses for their inaction on energy supplies. A recent talking point claimed that oil companies were not using lands already leased to them, but an AP report today explains exactly what is happening in those areas, putting the Democrats’ argument on thin ice at best. Democrats have also turned to oil magnate T. Boone Pickens, since he has been supporting investments in wind energy recently. But Pickens tells the Dallas Morning News that the Democrat energy speculation bill is simply “wasting time” and that we should “[g]o ahead and drill on the OCS.”

It’s long past time for Congress to address energy and gas prices. While Democrats appear to be attempting to avoid a debate on increasing domestic energy production, Republicans are continuing to push for votes on proposals that can actually affect gas prices by focusing on supply and demand.Tags:energy prices, gas prices, offshore oil, oil drilling, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C.To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Rep. Boozman Committed to Relief at the Gas Pump

Update: 7/22: Boozman to Address the House about Concerns of High Fuel Prices from Third District Residents - His remarks!
U.S. Congressman John Boozman (R-AR) is committed to helping provide relief at the pump. Concerns over High gas and diesel prices are the top concerns from his constituents. Boozman said in a release statement:

Luckily we’re not paying the national average of $4.06 when we're filling up in Arkansas, but as the average price for a gallon of regular gas nears $4 in the Natural State, it’s taking a toll on our budgets and we’re forced to stretch our dollar more than ever.

Budgets all across the state are feeling the same strains. The Benton County Sheriff’s Department changed its patrol routes in an effort to reduce fuel costs, Fort Smith’s Parks Department implemented plans to make sure its crews are more efficient with the vehicles and the State Highway Department blamed the increase in gasoline prices for having to increase its budget. That doesn’t even skim the surface of the stories you’ve told me.

The reality of rising gas prices is a costly reminder of how dependent the U.S. is on foreign oil. To alleviate the pain we’re feeling at the pump Congress needs to encourage more production of U.S. resources. This is the only developed country in the world that refuses to use its natural resources. Opening up Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), building refineries and more nuclear power plants as well as opening offshore drilling are all things Congress seriously needs to consider to help increase our domestic energy supply.

President Bush recently lifted an executive ban on offshore drilling. This is a great step and one that a clear majority of Americans are supporting. A recent Reuters/Zogby Poll found that 60% of Americans surveyed say they favor efforts to increase domestic drilling and refinery construction. This is a realistic approach that isn’t being taken advantage of. Minerals Management Service (MMS), an office of the U.S. Department of the Interior estimates only 3% of this country’s 1.76 billion acres Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) is leased for oil and gas exploration and development and more than 86 billion barrels of oil exists in undiscovered fields. At a time when we’re strapped for oil and gas, this is an area we must tap into.

There is no time like today to pass legislation to fully utilize the resources of this country. I’m a proponent of increasing the supply of domestic energy and have continually cosponsored and voted on legislation that aims to make us more energy independent. It’s in our best interest to bring legislation to the House Floor to give us what we need most, a break from high fuel prices.

Members of the House of Representatives have been challenged to sign a pledge that states "I will vote to increase U.S. oil production to lower gas prices for Americans,” and I gladly signed on. In encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this issue. The hardships the high cost of fuel is causing isn’t a partisan issue, it’s a matter of wellbeing and I’m ready and willing to take immediate action.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

What Arkansas Blue Dog Democrats Are Liberals?

U.S. Rep. Vic Snyder (D) of Little Rock, who wins the category of Best Liberal just about every year. But not this year according to the quintessentially liberal group, the Americans for Democratic Action (ADA). ADA gave their top score to a questionable Blue DogRep. Marion Berry (D) of Gillett and Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D) of Helena, both tied with scores of 90. On top of being scored by liberals as liberal, both Berry and Lincoln enjoy the distinction of getting large amounts of Federal farm subsidies.

Another questionable Blue Dog Rep. Mike Ross of Prescott (D) matched Snyder’s 85. Almost a Blue Dog Sen. Mark Pryor of Little Rock had a 70. Obviously, not a liberal, Rep. John Boozman (R) of Rogers, received a score of 15. Among the ADA's 20 issues were an increase in the minimum wage, stem-cell research, prescription drug prices for Medicare recipients, Iraq troop withdrawal and reauthorization of the Head Start program. A number of federal legislators scored 100. Almost as many scored zero. More from the Arkansas TimesTags:Arkansas, Blanche Lincoln, Blue Dogs, John Boozman, liberal, Marion Berry, Mark Pryor, Mike Ross, Vic SnyderTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Emergency Petition To Congress

Grassfire: The gas crisis threatens to cripple our economy because our nation’s leaders have failed to move America toward energy independence. The first vital step is to expand our domestic capacity. The President has lifted the Executive Order banning additional offshore oil drilling, but Congress continues to drag its feet. Grassfire launched this National Petitiondemanding that Congress lift the legislative and funding ban on Offshore Oil Drilling BEFORE the August recess.

No Summer Holiday For Congress Unless The Offshore Drilling Ban Is Lifted!
Congress’ month-long summer recess is scheduled to begin August 9. Join tens of thousands of citizens who are demanding action by Congress BEFORE they break for summer. In fact, Grassfire is asking members of Congress to PLEDGE to stay in session this summer until the life on offshore drilling ban is passed Petitions will be delivered every Monday to Republican and Democratic leadership in Congress. Sign today and demand that the ban is lifted before the Summer Recess.Tags:ban, Grassfire.org, offshore drilling, offshore oil, petitions

Obama Latest Gaffe - A Red Flag!

Bill Smith, Editor: Remember Dan Quayle and the alleged gaffe over misspelling the word potato which later proved to be an alternative correct spelling of the word. The news media hounded Quayle to the ground. Over the years the only conclusion I could find for the intensity of the main stream media is that Quayle was not a liberal. After suffering through the election losses of liberals Al Gore and John Kerry, the "main media" networks (the ones existing before Fox) have identified their problem. They reported too much truth about their former liberal boys. This year they seem to be wearing 'duck tape" over their months and to have locked down their "keyboards" when it comes to reporting truth about stupid comments, errors or flop-flops made by Barack Obama. They are following the new liberal craze of speaking no ill of the Obamassiah.

Obama has continually tripped over his tongue in expressing facts and ideas and performing flip-flops on issues. Now, consider the latest Obama gaffe that will not be "jumped on" by the main stream media. They are not going to ridicule and insult Obama as they did Quayle. Even though the spelling potato had nothing to do with being president, it was reported and reported and reported. However, Obama's latest gaffe has everything to do with understanding the constitution and the presidency -- consider the gaffe!

"...Today on CBS's Face the Nation, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., in Afghanistan, told the paparazzi-pursued correspondent Lara Logan that "the objective of this trip was to have substantive discussions with people like President Karzai or Prime Minister Maliki or President Sarkozy or others who I expect to be dealing with over the next eight to 10 years..."

Yes, you read this correctly. Barack Obama is planning on being in office for at least eight to ten years. Jack Tapper's blog picked up this latest Obamassiah gaffe. I would like to remind Pink Flamingo readers that Barack Obama was allegedly the editor of the Harvard Law Review. As such, he should be even remotely familiar with a little ditty called the Constitution of the United States of America.

Let's get this, he is an attorney, former head of the Harvard Law Review and is a sitting senator. He Obama taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School for twelve years and was a lecturer for four years for 12 years. We can conclude that the news media should have grasped that Obama should have known the fundamental fact that a President of the United States serves no more than eight (8) years. But after noting many of his other statements and proposal, one should ask if he plans to be around as "leader" more than eight (8) years.

To name just two proposals, Obama advocates the creation of a government funded and controlled Civilian National Security Forces equalling the US Military. Obama's Global Poverty Tax Billhas passed the House and Senate Committees and waiting for a vote in the Senate . The bill would subject the United States to UN provisions including banning “small arms and light weapons.” Obama has said he would disarm America with respect to our nuclear defense missiles and would stop actions for a protective missile defense shield. All these actions and many more should be flags to a "free press." Why aren't they red flags? As stated before, the liberal news media wants to elect a liberal president. The value of a "free press" like all of our other personal freedoms is does not appear to be their concern.Tags:Barack Obama, Democrat, Election 2008, presidential candidateTo share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

Rapid Islamification of Germany

As radical Islam mobilizes in Germany it may be wise for us to understand why America is so vulnerable. Germany already has 163 existing traditional mosques and there is now planned construction for 180 more mosques – many planned for areas with little Islamic population. Faultline USA presents excerpts and comments related to the article: "Not in My Backyard, Say an Increasing Number of Germans."

I am encouraging the reading of Faultline'sKeeping Our Eyes on the Rapid Islamification of Germany for a couple reasons. First, Germany is slightly smaller than the state of Montana and unlike the Unites States which is a melting pot of races and peoples, Germany has been in the past comprised of mostly Germans. Germany also supported a state religion. But now they are being confronted by the growth of Islam and the building of Islamic mosques in the midst and actions for Muslims to secure political power.

The second reason, is that the peoples of the United States are also faced with the rise of Islam in the Unites States. And unfortunately, many provisions of the Islam contradict not just with beliefs of Christianity but with the previously established core values shared by the mixed melting pot of our citizens. Consider these words by Faultline USA:

America take note! This isn’t just about religious freedom. It’s about what constitutes a religion – which has never been defined in the American constitution. Does our American Constitution, which offers blanket and unquestioning protection of religious freedom, create the very means by which the destruction of American sovereignty can be accomplished? Please read Why America Must Define Religion.

Despite a recent poll that shows Sen. John McCain with a 10% lead over presidential rival, Sen. Barack Obama, local republicans say they're not taking anything for granted in the November election.

And as for those coveted state house and senate seats, leaders say republican candidates stand a good chance to gain some ground in November... "I think we have a good chance of picking up at least five seats in the house, and again it's the best slate we've ever had. We're going to pick-up a lot and surprise quite a few people," Elizabeth Aymond said with the Arkansas Republican party.Tags:Arkansas Republican Party, KARK 4, Little Rock, news, Republicans, Victory 2008To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!

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